


i don't gamble (but if i did i would bet on us)

by kinselllas



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2018-11-08 12:41:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11081805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinselllas/pseuds/kinselllas
Summary: Very loosely based on the movie Life As We Know ItClarke and Lexa are in a fatal car accident. Bellamy and Raven are granted custody of their kids, something they never wanted or asked for. Flashbacks throughout, so there will be a bit of Clexa even though they're not alive in the present story.





	1. Chapter 1

**April 2020**

 

Raven pulls up in front of the ivy covered elementary school and kills the engine. Willa is sitting alone on the steps, clicking her shoes back and forth. A soft breeze blows dark brown waves out of her face and Raven is struck with just how much she looks like her mother. Her blue eyes blink to find Raven sitting in front of the sidewalk, and she bounds down the steps excitedly.

“Aunt Rae!” she screeches, throwing her backpack into the backseat and sliding into her spot.

Raven turns, head over her shoulder, and returns the smile. The seatbelt sits loosely over her tiny body, and Raven curses herself for not having the carseat. She never has time to prepare for these last minute pick-ups. Willa is barely six, but far wiser than Raven was at her age.

Immediately after the car starts, she asks, “Another surgery?”

Raven pulls out of her spot, heading to pick up Luca from daycare.

“Not sure,” she shrugs, eyes straight ahead, “Haven’t heard from mom.”

It wasn’t the first time she’d had to close her shop an hour, two hours early, to pick up Clarke’s children. Usually preceded by a panicked call from Clarke who knew she wouldn’t be there by 3:00, this time was a call from the school.

“What about mommy?” Willa’s small voice asks from the backseat.

Last Raven had heard Lexa was supposed to get in from London early afternoon.

“Mommy probably had a flight delay,” She says distractedly, pulling into the center’s parking lot.

She parks the car and helps Willa out, grabbing her hand to lead them inside. Luca bounds up to the gate at the sight of them, grin so big his pacifier falls out of his mouth.

“Hey little man,” Raven crouches to greet him and Luca jumps into her arms. She pushes the pale blonde hair out of his face and hoists him up on her hip, standing up carefully. Her leg still throws her off balance sometimes. Willa is fumbling with a toy driving wheel and Raven initials on Luca’s sign-out.

“Ready to go home, big guy?” She asks, and Luca beams back at her. Raven grabs his carseat and drags Willa by the arm back to her car. At this point, she could really use more hands.

When they arrive at Clarke and Lexa’s house, she throws her keys on the counter. The house is definitely empty, not a sound downstairs or upstairs. She checks her phone to find no missed calls or messages. She dials Clarke’s cell and it goes straight to voicemail.

“Hey Griffin,” Raven starts, “Your children are accounted for. Should I be planning a slumber party or are you coming home sometime soon? Call me back.”

It’s not until it starts getting dark outside, and Raven finds herself cooking a box of organic macaroni and cheese that she feels her chest tighten. Something is wrong. She’s never gone this long without hearing from Clarke or Lexa about their whereabouts. While busy, it’s always been important to them that their children know where they are. Raven’s running out of excuses for Willa.

It’s almost eight when she gets a call from Abby.

“Raven, hi.” Her voice is weak and shaking. Raven’s stomach drops. “Are you with the kids?”

She nods a few times, silently. “The kids are fine. Where’s Clarke?”

It’s silent for a few moments and Raven can hear Abby take a deep breath from the other line.

“Raven, there’s been an accident,” Abby’s crying then, quietly. “Clarke died on impact. She’s gone.”

She blinks back a few tears and exhales. Willa’s strewn over the grey couch, cuddling with a throw pillow and Luca is fumbling with a puzzle on the floor.

“And Lexa?”

Willa perks up at the name and Raven whips around so the child can’t see her face. The moment she sees tears, she’ll know something is wrong.

“Clarke,” Abby starts, and chokes back a sob. “Clarke picked her up from the airport. They were together. We thought she might hold on, but there was so much internal bleeding we couldn’t…”

Raven squeezes her eyes closed, and slides down to the floor. She waits for all of this to be a terrible nightmare, but Abby’s voice is still on the other line, and the TV is still yammering in the background, and this is still real.

“The kids?” She whispers.

“Marcus and I will tell them tomorrow,” Abby says firmly, and then, “I sent Bellamy over tonight so you can go home.”

Raven finds herself feeling a little defensive then, as if she’s not enough to stay there alone. She knows how much the kids love Bellamy. He held Willa until she was four, and Clarke started scolding him for making her too needy. Raven would still catch him, scooping her up in the backyard, Willa’s giggle echoing into the house.

“I’m-“ Raven starts, feeling her own voice break, “I’m sorry, Abby.”

Abby nods through the phone and Raven hangs up, wiping her tears and making her way to the living room. Everything feels numb as she picks Luca up off the floor and carries him to his room. The house is silent, only the sound of her footsteps walking up the stairs. The house is usually loud, Lexa’s incessant humming and Clarke yelling across the room. Clarke could be so loud sometimes.

Luca sleepily looks up at her, brown eyes like Abby’s. “Where mommy go?”

Raven meets his gaze and her chest tightens. She has no idea what to say. Her heart is heavy with a sudden sense of loss.

“Your mom loves you,” Raven says, tucking Luca into his bed, “And your mommy loves you.”

She sits down and rubs his chest gently, watching as his eyes fall closed and he falls asleep. In the moments after, Raven finds herself sobbing into her hand on the edge of his bed. Her ears are ringing in the silence. She jumps at the sound of the door creaking open and pushes herself up, taking a few quiet steps down the stairs.

Bellamy shuts it behind himself, head down. The last time she’d seen him, she was yanking on clothes and stumbling out of his apartment.

As soon as she reaches the last step, she finds herself running into his arms. Bellamy envelops her without hesitation and exhales into her hair. Raven feels herself weaken against his chest. His hands slide over her back, and Raven feels the tiniest bit of relief at his presence. Bellamy pulls back slowly to meets her eyes, and she reaches to brush a tear off his cheek. He swallows, dropping his gaze to the floor and clears his throat to speak.

“Raven-“ he starts, gently.

Willa comes bounding around the corner then, and Raven shuffles out of the way as she leaps into Bellamy’s open arms.

“Hey beautiful,” he says softly, presses a kiss to Willa’s temple.

Bellamy pushes the hair out of her face and forces a smile.

“Are you sleeping over?” Willa asks, then adds, “Mom’s not here.”

He nods, “That’s okay. I’m here to see you.”

She glances over her shoulder and beams at Raven. Raven gives a small smile back to her.

“Go get your pajamas on,” Bellamy says quietly. “I’ll be up in a minute.”

As soon as she’s all the way upstairs, he turns and puts a gentle hand on Raven’s arm.

“If you need to go, I’ve got it from here.” He tells her, “I know you open the shop in the morning.”

Raven thinks about the pile of dishes in the sink, the lack of parents coming home. Even if she went back to her place, she likely wouldn’t be able to will herself to work tomorrow. Sinclair can open the shop without her.

Her hand covers his and squeezes gently, “It’s fine. I’ll stay.”

Bellamy nods, following Willa’s route upstairs. Raven moves to the kitchen to clean up their dinner. She gets stuck on a particularly stubborn spot in the pot and falls apart all over again, dropping the pot with a clatter and flicking off the TV.

After a long trek upstairs, she peers into Willa’s room. Bellamy is laying on top of the blankets, and Willa is tucked in, curled against his side.

“…Goodnight moon,” Bellamy whispers softly, “Goodnight room. Goodnight cow jumping _over_ the moon…”

The guest room sits empty down the hall, and Raven can’t will herself to look at Lexa and Clarke’s room. Instead she walks to Luca’s room and curls up on the floor, no pillow or blanket. She rests her head on her arm and falls asleep.

She’s up when he starts screaming at two in the morning.

 

 

**November 2011**

 

Raven watches Bellamy rinse the shampoo out of his hair with water streaming down his face. She lets out a deep sigh and a smile spreads across his lips, eyes closed.

“I thought last night was a _one-time_ thing,” he says, voice low. His eyes flicker over her as she lathers the soap onto her shoulders. She should smack him, really. Although, she was the one to drag him into the shower in the first place.

“It _was,_ ” she says firmly. She hates the way he looks at her sometimes. “We’re merely cleansing ourselves of the indiscretion.”

Bellamy nods, a little amused. “Uh-huh.”

He leans forward to kiss her, and pushes against her body until her back hits the cold tile. She lets out a small gasp into his mouth and her hands slip around his neck, pulling him closer. Bellamy hoists one of her legs around his waist and positions himself, pushing into her slowly. Raven drops her head to his chest at the sensation and Bellamy buries his face in her shoulder.

“We’re not-“ she moans at the first thrust, “We’re not doing this again.”

Bellamy chuckles against her skin, fingers digging into her waist.

“I think we already are,” he whispers, and catches her mouth again. His hips thrust against her at a controlled pace and she can already feel her stomach swell. Raven nips at his jaw, his chin, and digs her teeth into his ear when they hear the door slam in the next room.

“Fuck,” Raven mouths,” Clarke.”

She jumps out of the shower and throws a towel around herself, swinging the bathroom door open. Bellamy follows her lead, but she shoves him back with a handful of clothes. Clarke is in the kitchen, slamming drawers and fidgeting with pans until Raven enters the room.

“I hate her,” Clarke bites, throwing one of the pans on a burner. “She’s the most condescending, genius, hipster I’ve ever met.”

Raven tries to hide her grin, “Lexa?”

“Somehow thinks she knows more than me…” Clarke mumbles, cracking an egg on to the pan. “I’m Pre-Med, but she has a better grasp on anatomy because she-“

“Hey,” Bellamy says softly, in his jeans and t-shirt.

“-and you know those glasses she wears are fake,” Clarke continues, barely acknowledging his presence. “She doesn’t actually need them to see, it’s just a _look_. Or whatever.”

“Clarke,” Raven starts, eyeing her carefully. “Are you sure you don’t hate all of these things about Lexa because you actually _like_ her?”

Clarke shakes her head immediately, determined. “Today she decided to educate me on the ventricular artery.” She flips her egg and glances at both of them, suddenly more focused. Her gaze zones in on Raven in her towel and moves to Bellamy with his wet mop of curls.

“What’s going on?” She asks, a little suspicious. “Why are you both wet?”

Raven shrugs, “I just got out of the shower.”

They both look to Bellamy and he shrugs too, pushing his wet hair out of his face, “I got hit by the campus sprinklers on my way over.”

Clarke narrows her eyes, “Your clothes are dry…”

“Yeah, I-“ Bellamy starts, trailing off.

“Clarke!” Raven jumps in, “Tell us more about Lexa’s faux leather obsession.”

She blinks a few times, seemingly deciding if the issue is worth exploring further. Instead, she nods and continues her ramblings about Lexa. As soon as she turns her back, Bellamy slips his hand up Raven’s towel, fingers trailing over her thigh.

Raven should smack him, _really._

 

 

**April 2020**

 

Raven wakes up in Luca’s bed with him tight against her chest. Light begins streaming in from outside and she pushes the hair out of his face. Downstairs the door creaks open and a pattering of footsteps echoes through the house. Raven would give anything for it to be Clarke and Lexa. She knows it’s not.

Bellamy pushes Luca’s door open and takes a few steps, sitting on the edge of Luca’s bed. His hand moves to Raven’s side and he squeezes gently. She props herself up on her elbow, keeping Luca against her body. Bellamy’s eyes flicker over them both, eyes warm, sad.

“Abby’s here,” he whispers.

It’s immediately met with Willa yelling “GRANDMA!” at the top of her lungs. Raven blinks back a few tears and sits up fully. Luca starts to stir, but still grips at Raven’s shirt. Bellamy helps her off the bed and she shrugs him away, not wanting to feel like someone who _needs_ anyone. Luca starts to whimper and Bellamy scoops him up, leading them downstairs.

Abby is making breakfast in the kitchen, and Kane is on the floor with Willa reading a _Curious George_ book.

“Mommy go,” Luca looks at Bellamy, “Where mommy?”

“Your mommy loves you,” Bellamy says, voice low. “And you mom loves you.”

Raven glances at him and notices the tears forming at his eyes. Abby smiles at them, but it’s broken and sad. She reaches for Luca and brings him over to the carpet with Willa. Kane raises an eyebrow to silently ask if she’s sure. But they’re out of time. The questions will never stop until they know.

“Willa, Luca,” Abby starts gently, “Mom and mommy love you so much. Yesterday…”

Raven blocks her voice out then, unable to listen to the explanation. Her ears are ringing and she keeps her back to them, face in her hands. Bellamy moves to wrap his arms around her, but she pushes him away, making her way to the living room. She pulls Luca onto her lap and cradles him gently.

“So they didn’t forget us?” Willa asks, after Abby finishes talking.

“They would never,” Kane says, catching himself. “They _will_ never forget you guys.”

Willa’s little brow furrows. “But they’re not coming back.”

“They can’t,” Abby’s voice cracks. “I’m sorry, baby. They can’t come back now.”

Willa’s eyes fill with tears and Abby moves to hug her.

“No!” She shouts, pushing Abby away and rejecting Marcus’ hand. “I want mom! She would never let this happen!”

With that, she sprints up the stairs to her room and slams the door. Raven can’t believe she’s only six years old. Abby looks to Bellamy and gives him a small nod. He immediately trails up the stairs after her. Luca is still in Raven’s arms, seemingly fighting his urge to cry. His little hands shake on her arm.

“Mommy?” he asks, and his voice shakes too.

Raven squeezes him tighter and closes her eyes.

 

**tbc.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rewrite this chapter so many times, until I was finally happy with it. Some Emotional!Bellamy, I based Bellamy and Clarke's friendship off of their early interactions in season one, so it's pretty AU. But very platonic. 
> 
> Wrote the beginnings of Clarke and Lexa, which was my first time writing this ship. Hope I did them some justice! I plan to continue with their flashbacks in future chapters.

**April 2020**

 

“No!” Willa screams from Clarke and Lexa’s bedroom, “I’m not going!”

“Like hell you aren’t!” Raven fires back, and Bellamy puts a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know if that’s helping,” he whispers.

Raven curses herself. The dress was the first mistake. The minute Abby brought it upstairs, Raven knew they were in for a fight. She threw the same temper tantrum before her own mother’s funeral. Bellamy was softer. He took his mother’s death with a calm acceptance, but he was also quite a bit older. They’d always known where to find Willa. Whenever she was scared or upset, she’d dart under Clarke and Lexa’s bed for hours.

She can remember when Clarke and Lexa brought Willa home from the hospital. Clarke was obsessively overprotective. She had Bellamy up to his arms in hand sanitizer with a surgical mask on the first time he held her. Lexa had rolled her eyes, plucking the mask off his face the minute Clarke left the room.

_“Next, we’ll be building her a plastic bubble.”_

Here they are. No bubble to be found.

Raven takes a deep breath and stills herself, “Open the door, Willa.” After a second she adds, “ _Now._ ”

The latch clicks and she breathes a sigh of relief. Bellamy gives her an incredulous look, stepping back to let her enter the room alone. Raven pushes the door open slowly and steps into the space to see Willa’s black dress in a crumpled mess on the floor. She finds Willa under the bed, arms tucked beneath her body.

“I’m not going,” she repeats, voice small.

“Okay,” Raven nods, laying down on the carpet to face her. Her dress is probably wrinkling too. “Why not?”

“Because,” she says quietly, “I don’t want to see them when they’re dead.”

Raven shuts her eyes at the _d_ word that she hasn’t been able to say since she got the call from Abby over a week ago. She swallows her own tears and forces a smile at the blue eyes staring back at her.

“You know,” she starts, softly. “I had to do it. The stupid dress, the funeral, the good bye. Bellamy, too.”

Willa’s eyes widen, “Really?” They had never really talked about it. Bellamy and Raven had spent hours discussing their late mothers privately, but they never brought it up with others. Raven had lost her mom when she was a few years older than Willa, Bellamy lost his when he was a senior in high school.

Raven nods again, “It’s not easy,” she sighs, “but you’ll be more sad later if you don’t say goodbye today.”

By the time Willa crawls out from under the bed, Abby and Kane have already left. Bellamy is in his suit, feeding Luca downstairs. Raven can absently hear the toddler’s giggles echo in the stairwell. The reality hasn’t hit him quite yet, probably won’t for a few more days.

“Aunt Rae?” Willa says, breaking the silence. “I’m not wearing the dress.”

Raven doesn’t argue.

 

 

**December 2011**

 

“Stop!” Lexa shouts, catching them all off guard. “You’re going to over water it!”

Clarke purses her lips, setting her pitcher down gently. Raven braces herself for another argument. Bellamy’s gaze drops to his phone screen to hide his amused smile.

“I know what I’m doing,” Clarke says, a little gruff.

Lexa tilts her head, “Griffin, I’ve watched you kill thirteen plants this semester.”

“And you wonder why you’re never invited over…” Clarke mumbles, and Raven snorts a laugh.

It doesn’t help that Bellamy and Lexa’s apartment is covered in plants, much like a greenhouse. Lexa knows the expert care due to her girlfriend’s ownership of a floral shop in Portland and she’s always coming home with a few finds to add to their collection.

Bellamy and Raven share a quick glance before escaping to the kitchen and cracking open a bottle of wine.

“I think Clarke likes her,” Raven says absently, tossing a salad at the counter. Bellamy raises a glass to her lips and she takes a sip, meets his gaze.

“Doesn’t matter,” he shrugs, “Lexa finds her bossy, and obnoxious.”

Raven smiles to herself, and thinks Lexa is probably just as rooted in denial as Clarke. Bellamy moves his body behind hers and slides his hands over her waist gently. Sometimes, it amazes her how easily they can move from friends to _this_ without a word. His fingers rake under her shirt and Raven tries to focus on prepping dinner, but it gets increasingly hard with Bellamy’s distractions.

“Bossy,” she repeats, “Obnoxious,” Bellamy’s mouth finds her neck and she sighs, “Sounds like _you._ ”

Raven can feel his grin against her ear and it sends a shiver through her body. It was only supposed to be one time.

“To be fair,” Bellamy says, pushing her hair aside to gain better access to her skin, “I think that could describe either one of us.”

His mouth is persistent on her throat, teeth grazing her skin. Raven’s stomach swirls and her fingers grip at the counter for balance. One hand slides up her shirt and Raven pushes against him just slightly, searching for friction. The kitchen door swings open and Bellamy drops his hands, moving back to his spot at the island. Clarke storms in, fuming, and makes her way to the fridge.

“Apparently my African violets only need two ice cubes a week,” she mumbles, loud enough for them to hear. “Hopefully I haven’t done irreparable damage!”

Raven feels hot, pulse racing under skin. A month of sleeping together and they still hadn’t told Clarke. It wasn’t just the sneaking around- _which they both got a tiny thrill out of-_ but Raven didn’t want to change the dynamic of their friendship. Bellamy and Clarke had been friends since high school, and after meeting Raven in college they all became inseparable. Raven wasn’t prepared for Clarke to suddenly treat them like a couple or start feeling like a third wheel.

In short, she didn’t want anything to change.

“You should listen to Lexa,” Bellamy shrugs, “she knows her plants.”

Clarke narrows her eyes at him and plucks two ice cubes from the tray. Raven focuses on measuring spices for the salad in front of her and takes a gulp of her wine. Clarke’s gaze lingers on her a little too long, and she sets the glass down with as much grace as she can muster.

“She’s a know-it-all,” Clarke bites and moves to the door, but freezes a moment to say, “Nice hickey, Raven.”

The door swings open and closed without a word.

Bellamy gives a careless shrug and says, “I guess she knows.”

 

 

**April 2020**

 

Raven finds him in the lobby of the funeral home. He had disappeared somewhere between the slideshow and Willa placing white roses in both of their coffins. She had watched him sneak out, wiping at his eyes. It had been almost an hour since he left.

Bellamy’s sitting on one of the brown leather couches, face in his hands. Raven approaches quietly and sits down next to him without a word. He shifts at her presence, but doesn’t sit up. Raven has always been fairly comfortable in silence, keeping her own gaze on her knees. A few minutes go by before Bellamy speaks.

“You know,” he scrubs a quick hand over his face, “I used to hate her, in high school.”

“Clarke?” She asks, voice gentle.

Bellamy nods, a soft chuckle to himself. “She was so annoying, always on my heels, turning everything into a competition, nagging me to cut my hair. I hated her.”

Raven glances at him, a smile. When they’d met, Clarke had immediately introduced Bellamy as her best friend from high school, and was met with an eye roll on his end. But there was always an air of affection from him, hiding a small smile at her reprimands.

His eyes well up with tears then and he uses the heel of his palm to wipe them away quickly. He takes a deep, shaky breath. Raven watches him, staying silent.

“I didn’t tell her,” he starts and his voice cracks. “The last time we talked, I didn’t tell her.”

Raven reaches for his hand and Bellamy grips hers, turning to meet her gaze. She can still feel his tears in the middle of his palm.

“She knew,” she whispers, nodding. “She knew.”

Bellamy nods with her, dropping his head to her shoulder. A small sob escapes him and gets buried against her collar bone. She brings her other hand up to wrap her fingers around the back of his neck and presses her mouth to his hair.

_She knew, she knew, she knew._

 

 

**December 2011**

 

Clarke has never thought of herself to be a particularly impulsive person. Raven and Bellamy would probably agree with her, seeing as they do just about anything on impulse. She’s sure their first time was just a drunken dare to see how far the other person would go. But Clarke has never been impulsive, so when she shows up at Bellamy and Lexa’s place with a box of red wine, she paces the hallway several times before knocking at the door- still considers sprinting away at the last second.

Lexa swings the door open, her hair is piled on top of her head in a bun. A few strands are falling in her face, and with her brow furrowed, her glasses are perched right on the bridge of her nose.

“Hi,” Clarke starts, “Is Bellamy here?”

She knows he’s not, had noticed his shoes in the entry way of her own apartment and turned right back around.

“Nope,” Lexa gives her a careless shrug, “Coming in?”

Clarke holds up the box of wine and nods, “Yup.”

Lexa is in the process of decorating her Christmas tree, which is actually just a giant fern. But it’s pretty, and it makes Clarke think of holidays at home. Her mom worked in the ER during Christmas now, so they rarely spent the holiday season together.

“Don’t just stand there, Griffin,” Lexa hands her a mug of wine and a box of ornaments. “Make yourself useful.”

Three cups of wine later, Clarke finds herself cross legged on the floor, giggling at a _Grey’s Anatomy_ rerun and Lexa is leaning against the couch next to her, knees to her chest. She takes a sip from her mug and Clarke notices the red stain of her lips. Lexa meets her gaze and Clarke looks away quickly,eyes back on the screen.

“Bellamy said you’re pissed at him,” Lexa says, stealing a glance at her.

Clarke snorts, taking gulp from her own cup, “That’s because I am.”

“Because he’s sleeping with Raven.”

Clarke rolls her eyes, “It’s _more_ than that. He didn’t tell me,” She shrugs, “Neither did she, actually.”

Lexa smiles into her cup and it leaves Clarke a little infuriated. She was Bellamy’s friend first, and she was also Raven’s friend first, and without her, they may have never met. The fact that they both intentionally hid it from her leaves her wondering how much her friendship even means to them.

“They’re adults,” Lexa says, short. “They’re not required to tell you anything.”

Clarke groans, dialogue from the show still murmuring in the background.

“I know that.”

“Unless…” Lexa starts, raising an eyebrow, “You like Bellamy.”

Clarke shakes her head, too ridiculous to even fathom. She had always enjoyed their sparring matches in high school, forcing him into a friendship in college. He had accepted it with a series of eye rolls that she started to read as his own version of affection.

Lexa tries again with, “Raven?”

“I mean,” Clarke tilts her head, takes a sip of wine, “I wouldn’t kick her out of bed.”

Lexa snorts a laugh, and Clarke is positive it’s the first laugh she’s received from her. She decidedly doesn’t hate it. Her gaze moves back to the television and two of the doctors are making out in the on-call room, as usual.

“I just don’t know why they didn’t tell me,” she says softly, feeling a few tears _finally_ prickle at her eyes.

They’re both silent for a long time then, Lexa’s knee bumps hers softly. Clarke is suddenly aware of Lexa’s gaze on her, and she feels a little warm, a little nervous. She meets her eyes and finds a soft smile is gracing Lexa’s mouth. She’s pretty when she smiles. She’s pretty when she doesn’t.

“Did you ever think,” Lexa says, keeping her eyes on Clarke’s, “they didn’t tell you _because_ they care about you?”

Clarke doesn’t really know what to do with that.

 

 

**May 2020**

 

Raven listens to the faint clacking of heels coming down the hallway and closes her eyes. In her head it sounds like rushing traffic, whirring past and forcing her eyes open again. She sits next to Bellamy on a cold metal bench outside the lawyer’s office. It has been silent for almost an hour. Her hands are trembling. Bellamy’s gaze is straight ahead. Abby had texted saying she and Kane were going to be late.

Chuck, Clarke and Lexa’s attorney, calls them into his office. Raven shoots up from her seat, but Bellamy is still rooted in place. She gives a gentle nudge to his shoulder and he sighs, joining her.

Abby and Marcus hurry in shortly after and everyone settles into their seats. Raven’s fingernails dig into the leather armrests of her chair. She’s always been familiar with grief, losing her mother at nearly thirteen. Rosa didn’t leave anything in her absence. Raven was passed between foster homes until she received her full scholarship to university. This is different, she knows Clarke and Lexa made preparations young.

“The Last Will and Testament of Clarke and Lexa Griffin reads as follows,” their lawyer follows the text in front of him. They leave their entire library to Bellamy, and Raven is genuinely curious how he would add these books to his already extensive collection. She is granted the two cars, a ’17 Suburban and Lexa’s 1976 Mercury Comet, neither of which she has any use for, but she’d figure something out. Clarke and Lexa were still so young, they had just finished paying off their house. Clarke’s savings would automatically go toward Willa’s future education. Bellamy smiles at that. He’s been depositing a portion of his salary into her account since she was born. They have a fund started for Luca as well, nearly 10,000.

Abby and Marcus are left the artwork of the house, but otherwise they’re well-off enough on their own. Willa receives Lexa’s record player and collection, along with her wedding band. There’s nothing written in the will about Luca, aside from Clarke’s wedding band. He was probably too young the last time they updated it to give the issue much thought.

“And now,” Chuck clears his throat, “there’s the matter of the children.”

There’s a sudden chill in the room. Raven finds her hand reflexively move to Bellamy’s arm, unable to shake old habits. He doesn’t question the gesture, covering her hand with his own. Chuck reads a paragraph of legal jargon about custody before announcing the sole guardian,

“Bellamy Blake-“

“What?” Abby’s voice cuts through the room like a sharp knife.

Raven’s nails dig into Bellamy’s arm so hard he rips out of her grip, sharing a pointed gaze. Kane drops his face to his hands, not entirely sure if it’s with disappointment or relief. Abby’s posture is tense, frightening.

“I’m sorry,” she forces a calm demeanor, “there must be some mistake.”

Chuck returns his gaze to the papers in front of him, but offers a small shake to his head, confirming the original reading.

“He’s 27,” Abby continues, “He’s hardly old enough to take on two children by himself. No offense, Bellamy.”

Raven’s heart is racing in her chest, practically hammering against her rib cage. Bellamy just nods in response, oddly calm given the circumstances.

“Not by himself,” Chuck corrects, clearing his throat. “I haven’t finished reading.”

Abby’s brow furrows and Raven is certain she’s matching her expression. She tries to feed off of Bellamy’s stoic nature, the way he won’t betray his thoughts to the room.

 

“Bellamy Blake,” he reads again, “and Raven Reyes.”

 


End file.
